President Biden’s reelection campaign says it hasn’t talked about a potential general election debate against former President Trump in light of the GOP front-runner missing the first Republican primary debate.
“To be honest with you, we haven’t had any real substantive conversations about that quite yet,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler told reporters Tuesday when asked if Biden would debate Trump if he’s the GOP opponent.
Trump confirmed Sunday that he will not attend the debate Wednesday in Milwaukee after he and at least eight of the GOP hopefuls met the polling and donor requirements to attend.
Some have suggested Trump’s decision could end up benefitting Biden.
Former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy have said that Trump is giving Biden an excuse not to debate him by not attending the first debate.
The Biden campaign argued that it’s not surprising that Trump would skip the Wisconsin debate because businesses, including the Foxconn factories, are shuttering in the state.
“It’s ground zero for his failed record on the economy, his broken promises to American workers,” Tyler said. “So it’s no surprise that he’d be skipping the first debate here in Wisconsin.”
“But as it relates to, you know, our posture for the general election, we just haven’t had any real substantive conversation about it yet,” he added.
The campaign also said that the president doesn’t plan on responding to anything the candidates on the stage say during Wednesday’s debate.
“I don’t expect that you’ll see him respond to any attacks or anything else. He’s going to keep doing the responsible thing, and that is focusing on the American people,” campaign co-Chair Cedric Richmond told reporters.
Richmond added that Biden will “continue to govern,” noting the ongoing response to wildfires in Maui and the extreme weather in California.